The Odessa City Council has reignited the infamous Texas Bathroom Wars with an Oct. 22 vote to ban transgender people from using appropriate restrooms based on their gender identity.
Following what the Texas Tribune called “an emotionally charged exchange between residents and city leaders,” the council passed the bathroom ban in a 5-2 vote by expanding a 1989 ordinance that prohibits individuals from entering restrooms designated for the opposite sex.
Residents, the Tribune reports, pleaded with council members not to pass the measure, saying that it and others like it are divisive, would stretch city services and “stoke fear among the community.”
Alexander Ermels, a trans man who is president of the Midland and Odessa PFLAG chapter, called the measure “unnecessary” and “a complete waste of the city’s time, money and resources,” the Tribune reports. “It’s not addressing any real problem in our community. Instead, it’s creating one, making people worried about something that just is not an issue.”
— Tammye Nash